52 pages • 1 hour read
Kate MillettSexual Politics
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1970A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Sexual Politics by Kate Millett is a seminal feminist critique exploring literature and social organization, opening with an analysis of fiction by Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet to illustrate sexual power dynamics. Millett discusses the political nature of gender relations, critiques patriarchal rule and cultural conditioning, and reviews the incomplete sexual revolution from 1830 to 1930, followed by a counterrevolution supported by regimes and social sciences. The book concludes with detailed examinations of Lawrence's, Miller's, Mailer's, and Genet's works, highlighting themes of manipulation, objectification, sexualized violence, and resistance to oppression. The text includes themes of sexual violence, manipulation, and marginalization.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Kate Millett's Sexual Politics is praised for its groundbreaking feminist critique of patriarchy and its analysis of literature through a gendered lens. Some reviewers find Millett's writing dense and the arguments dated, but the majority appreciate its historical significance and powerful insights into gender dynamics. Overall, it remains a seminal feminist text.
Who Should Read Sexual Politics?
A reader intrigued by feminist theory, gender studies, and socio-political critiques of patriarchy will find Sexual Politics by Kate Millett compelling. Fans of Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique will appreciate Millett's incisive analysis and revolutionary perspectives.